Retractable shutters for use as doorway or window closures are well known in the art. Such shutters typically include a plurality of small segmented sections flexibly joined together. The shutter can be rolled up and is typically stored overhead of the doorway or window in a cylindrical housing. Tracks are located on the sides of the doorway or window to guide the shutter during extension (closing) and retraction (opening).
The extension and retraction of an overhead shutter is typically accomplished by use of an AC electric motor powered from the general AC voltage source in the building which is typically provided by a local utility company. It is typical on shutter assemblies to have a mechanical drive capability to open and close the shutter should the AC power to the building be interrupted for an extended period of time. The mechanical drive arrangement includes an opening in the cylindrical housing that stores the shutter to permit access to a mechanically drivable gear An operator, using a long shaft having a U-shaped handle portion near one end and a keyed portion at the other end, inserts the shaft into the opening and engages the keyed portion of the shaft with a drive gear. Upon mechanical rotation of the drive shaft using the U-shaped handle portion, the shutter can be retracted or extended mechanically.